Standing on the floor of the Paramount theater in Huntington, NY, we were all waiting for Matt to take the stage. Last time I saw him with O.A.R., I was a bit bummed that he wasn't his usual bubbly, storytelling self, so I wasn't sure what to expect.
But not to fret!!! Matt is back and he is better than ever!
The minute he stepped on stage and started playing the first few chords of "Headphones", I knew this was going to be an EPIC night and I was right.
The night was filled with great music and funny stories that always drew laughter from the crowd - now that's the Matt I know.
Matt combined his infectious laughter, smile and wonderful sense of humor to entertain the audience inbetween songs. He called out a woman using her phone (saying he could be her google - go ahead and ask him anything) and yelled at a guy up in the balcony for getting up to go to the bathroom.
If he cut half the songs from the set list and just chatted and joked with everyone all night, I think that would've been well received by all. He didn't, but almost had to because he would start to play 80's cover tunes and it always turned into one big sing-along. He got such a kick out of the response he even said "we have to come back and do an 80's theme night".
Matt was joined on stage by Aaron Tap who played guitar and keyboards. It wasn't a full band, but it wasn't needed. This was the perfect combination and they pulled it off flawlessly, well, Matt did mess up the chords on one song. I don't think anyone would've noticed or cared if Matt did make a point to joke about it. But by that time, he had the fans in a spell.
He performed some of his hits like Kinks Shirts, Bill Murray and Giants. Did you know he performed two of those songs on an episode of the Bachelor a few years ago?
The whole night you felt like you were hanging out in someone's basement, listening to music with a couple hundred of your closest friends. But as soon as you heard the opening lyrics to "Faster", you knew it was almost over yet didn't want it to end. Matt got into it swaying those hips and dancing to every beat, then slowed down a bit and went straight into "Come On Get Higher". I don't think he could've ended the show on a better note.
I must say this had to be not only one of his best shows, but one of the best I've been to in a long time. He's a truly gifted artist and such a beautiful person, inside and out.
For more information on Matt Nathanson or to see when and where he's touring next, please visit his website.
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